This invention relates generally to portable bottled water dispensers and, more particularly, to a refillable water bottle system which ensures that the outlet of a water container received and in use by a bottled water dispenser is sealed before an inlet port of the container may be opened.
A conventional water cooler/dispenser receives the neck of an inverted water bottle and dispenses water therefrom. When the water bottle is empty, it must be removed from the cooler and a new water bottle must be carried, lifted, and mounted atop the cooler. This operation can be very awkward and is especially challenging or even impossible for persons unable to lift heavy objects or whose mobility, stability, or dexterity is diminished. A traditional portable water bottle weighs about 45 pounds.
Various devices have been proposed for dispensing water directly from a water bottle positioned on the ground (i.e. no inversion or lifting) or for refilling another container already mounted to a water dispenser. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not provide safeguards for preventing the inlet opening (i.e. a refill opening) from being opened prior to sealing the outlet opening. This is important in that water remaining in the container will completely pour out of the outlet opening if the partial vacuum inside the container is broken by opening the inlet opening.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a refillable water bottle system having a single inlet port both for releasing the container vacuum and for receiving refill water. Further, it is desirable to have a system in which a container outlet aperture must be sealed before the inlet aperture may be opened. In addition, it is desirable to have a system including a cart for transporting refill bottles into proximity of a water cooler and having a pump for conveying water from a refill bottle into the cooler container.
A refillable water bottle system according to the present invention includes a container having a neck capable of being received by a conventional water cooler/dispenser unit, the neck defining an outlet aperture. The container also includes a cap releasably coupled to a top wall of the container, the cap defining an inlet port. The cap also includes a pair of levers for selectively sealing and unsealing the inlet port and outlet aperture. The levers are pivotally coupled to the cap and are arranged such that the lever for sealing/unsealing the outlet aperture completely covers the lever for sealing/unsealing the inlet port when the inlet port is sealed and the outlet aperture is unsealed. Therefore, the inlet port may not be unsealed/opened until the outlet aperture is sealed and, inversely, the outlet aperture may not be unsealed until the inlet port is sealed/closed. This is important in that opening the inlet port releases the partial vacuum that exists inside the container during normal usage which, in turn, allows water in the container to completely flow out of the outlet aperture if it remains unsealed. Obviously, this causes a significant mess. The refillable water bottle system further includes a pump for conveying bottled water from a refill bottle into the main container. The pump may be mounted to the conventional water cooler unit or to a special cart suited for transporting a refill water bottle.
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a refillable water bottle system that enables a user to consume bottled water without having to lift and mount replacement water bottles.
Another object of this invention is to provide a water bottle system, as aforesaid, which prevents a user from mistakenly or inadvertently releasing the vacuum within a water bottle (i.e. opening the inlet port) prior to sealing the outlet aperture thereof.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a water bottle system, as aforesaid, which prevents a user from mistakenly or inadvertently unsealing the outlet aperture prior to sealing/closing the inlet port.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a water bottle system, as aforesaid, having a cart particularly suited for transporting a refill water bottle.
A further object of this invention is to provide a water bottle system, as aforesaid, having a self-priming pump for conveying water from a refill water bottle into a main water container mounted atop a water dispenser unit.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a water bottle system, as aforesaid, in which the pump is mounted to the cart.